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    Nicole Larson

    Nicole Larson

    Contributor

  • Police 'Satisfied' With Lineup Results In Stadium Beating Case

    Los Angeles' police chief expressed confidence Thursday that his investigators have arrested the right person as the prime suspect in the brutal beating of a San Francisco Giants fan at Dodger Stadium, but he said a case won't be presented to prosecutors until there is an "abundance" of evidence. The arrest of Giovanni Ramirez, 31, came weeks after the beating, and nearly a week has passed with no charges filed. Police Chief Charlie Beck said at a news conference he "absolutely" believes he has the right man.

  • VIDEO: Brad Talks Family, Joplin Tragedy At LA Film Premiere

    It was a family affair last night at the Los Angeles premiere of "Tree of Life." Though Brad and Angelina didn't bring their brood to the screening at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, it was clear that family was on both of their minds. Brad spoke with reporters about his childhood and parenting while Angelina cooed over a baby on the red carpet.

  • Schwarzenegger's Mixed Record On Prison Reform

    Even before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that California must drastically reduce its prison population, the state had begun taking steps to relieve severe overcrowding at the direction of a former actor-turned-governor who alternated roles between get-tough cop and social worker reformer. Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger insisted in 2005 that the Department of Corrections be renamed to include "Rehabilitation" in its title. As the prisons' population swelled to an all-time high in 2006, the Republican governor declared a public safety emergency.

  • Santa Monica Bombing Suspect Pleads Not Guilty

    Ron Hirsch, who has been linked to the explosion that occurred last month at the Chabad House Lubavitch, pleaded not guilty to four federal felony counts in a U.S. District Court on Monday morning. "You can sit on your hands during the trial, and if the government hasn't proven its case, you win," U.S. Magistrate Judge Patrick J. Walsh told him, explaining Hirsch's right to defend himself.

  • PHOTOS: Nick Cannon Emcees LAUSD Talent Show For Beyond The Bell

    Students from 29 LA Unified School District (LAUSD) high schools converged upon the back lot of Paramount Pictures for a talent contest of epic proportions for Beyond the Bell's "Lights. Three stages were set up against the back drop of Paramount's New York City facades as participants competed for the title of best singer, dancer, musician, visual artist, and spoken word performer in the district. America's Got Talent host Nick Cannon emceed the event, encouraging the students and announcing special live performances.

  • PHOTOS: Pasinetti Architectural Reduced To $1.995 Million

    When we first told you about the legendary Pasinetti House, it had just hit the market with a price tag of $2.295 million. Italian writer and co-founder of UCLA's Comparative Literature department, Pier Maria Pasinetti, commissioned Romanian architect Haralamb Georgescu to build the house in 1958. Check out the slideshow below to see the historic home where guests like Clark Gable, Charlie Chaplin and Ingmar Bergman once attended parties.

  • PHOTOS: Largest Street Art Collection Debuts At LAB ART LA

    Where does Street Art fit into the contemporary art world? LAB ART Los Angeles aims to secure the genre's place as a serious movement by giving it a permanent spot in the cultural cache when it opens its doors to the public May 13. Thursday evening, members of the art world, media, and general cultural enthusiasts converged upon LAB ART, a 6,500 square foot gallery on La Brea in LA, for the opening preview of the country's largest Street Art collection to date.

  • State Universities Consider 'Radical' Measures In Response To Budget Cuts

    Facing a potential $1-billion reduction in state funding for the coming school year, California State University is considering "radical" measures that could include huge tuition hikes and enrollment reductions, officials said Tuesday. The actions may be necessary to keep classroom doors open if tax extensions requested by Gov. Jerry Brown are not approved, Chancellor Charles B. Reed told trustees at a meeting in Long Beach. The state already had approved funding cuts for the next school year of $500 million each for Cal State and the University of California.

  • Animal Rescue Of The Week: New Leash On Life (PHOTOS)

    Bobby Dorafshar, founder of New Leash on Life, began volunteering for the Department of Animal Regulation in 1994. Realizing that he could help more animals by increasing general public awareness about shelters and rescue programs, Dorafshar developed and coordinated mobile pet adoptions throughout the city and was able to place more than 5,000 animals in new homes. New Leash On Life is a nonprofit organization designed to "increase adoptions, reduce animal abandonment and euthanization in Los Angeles and increase public awareness on responsible pet ownership through education," according to Sean Tanner, who works with the organization.

  • PHOTOS: Hancock Park Storybook Home For $1.199 Million

    Realtor Wesley Earley notes to HuffPost that the 1926 home is built in the French Normandy style (i.e. The three bedroom, two bathroom home has original hardwood floors and an updated master bedroom and kitchen, but the property's landscaping is what steals the show.

  • PHOTOS: Modern Pasadena Home For $2.15 Million

    A new Mid Century Modern style home has hit the market in the Langham Hotel Estates neighborhood of Pasadena for $2.15 million. Known as the "eyebrow house" due to the shape of the roof, the home was designed in 1963 by John L. Pugsley, an architect known for designing modern homes in California. The kitchen was designed by Eileen Atwood of Sierra Custom Kitchens.

  • Animal Rescue Of The Week: Dogs Without Borders (PHOTOS)

    Galit Reuben was discontent fostering just one dog at a time at another animal rescue when she decided to found Dogs Without Borders in 2006. Since its inception, Dogs Without Borders has, as the name suggests, led Reuben and the organization to rescue animals from all over the world and find them local, loving homes. Today, 95% of Dogs Without Borders' dogs come from high kill LA shelters, though 5% are still taken in from other locations and groups around the world, like Animal Rescue Team Taiwan (AART).

  • Local Business Helps Battle Unemployment, Poverty In LA

    According to the California Employment Development Department, the state's current unemployment rate is around 12%. One organization, Chrysalis, is fighting to decrease that percentage around the city of Los Angeles. Huffington Post: It seems like Chrysalis has combined an entrepreneurial spirit with philanthropy in order to help Angelenos find employment.

  • 5 Tequila Drinks (That Aren't Margaritas) For Cinco De Mayo

    May 5th -- otherwise known as Cinco de Mayo -- is creeping up. L.A.'s sheep will follow one another from Mexican restaurant to Mexican bar to other Mexican bar, but if you're the kind of person that, say, avoided Irish bars on St. Patrick's Day, this is how you can steer clear of Cinco de Mayo melee. Pimm's "No 7" Cup At 1886: There is a lot of new/old booze inside Pasadena's Raymond Hotel.

  • PHOTOS: Rescuing Animals At The California Wildlife Center

    Each week, Huffington Post LA highlights a local animal rescue organization in the hopes that some lucky reader will find the perfect pet to bring home. This week, we've decided to highlight the California Wildlife Center, an LA-based organization thta rescues and rehabilitates neglected and injured wild animals around Los Angeles. Founded by a small number of volunteers as a grass-roots organization, the California Wildlife Center (or CWC) began as an emergency medical service that stabilized injured animals in the wild before transferring them to nearby animal rehabilitation centers.

  • PHOTOS: Who Are Hollywood's Hottest?

    US Weekly hosted its Hot Hollywood Party on Tuesday night at Eden in Hollywood. The bash celebrated the magazine's Hot Hollywood 2011 list, which honors big names in the world of style and entertainment. This year's list includes celebs like Jessica Szhor (who received the honorary title, "The Ace of Effortless Style"), Hayden Pannettiere (dubbed "The Style Chameleon"), and Camila Alves ("The Natural Woman").

  • LAPD Officer Arrested On Suspicion Of DUI After Driving On Wrong Side Of Street

    A Los Angeles police officer, allegedly spotted riding a motorcycle the wrong way in the Sepulveda Tunnel near LAX, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, authorities said Monday. LAPD Officer Joseph M. Bezak, 41, was taken into custody by airport police about 4:15 a.m. Saturday, said Sgt. Belinda Nettles, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles International Airport Police Department. Bezak was arrested after airport police officers responded to a radio call that he had been driving a motorcycle north while in the southbound lanes of Sepulveda Boulevard, Nettles said.

  • VIDEO: Eli Broad Pours Billions Into LA, But Has His Critics

    In a 60 Minutes profile, interviewer Morley Safer called Eli Broad "one of the most consistently generous philanthropists in America." Safer's segment on the billionaire benefactor takes viewers on a lap of some of Broad's biggest Los Angeles contributions (Disney Concert Hall, Broad Contemporary Art at LACMA, and the upcoming "Broad" in Downtown LA). Safer also gives Broad's friends and critics a forum to sound off on the best and worst of Los Angeles' biggest philanthropist.

  • Church Of Scientology Buys KCET's Studio

    Financially strapped KCET-TV has sold its landmark Sunset Boulevard studio to the Church of Scientology for an undisclosed price, the station said Monday. KCET will remain at 4401 W. Sunset Blvd. for as much as a year will searching for a new location. The station is in discussions with several production facilities, according to a statement by its president, Al Jerome.

  • PHOTOS: Former Bela Lugosi Home For $2.367 Million

    Via Curbed LA: The Beachwood Canyon home once belonging to actor Bela Lugosi is now on the market for the first time in forty years. With five bedrooms and four bathrooms, the 5,000 square foot house is currently listed at $2.367 Million. Lugosi is perhaps best known for playing the title role in the 1931 film Dracula, but he also enjoyed a lengthy and prolific career in Hollywood.